Hello. I am wondering how much I should charge to watch my best friend's baby for one day a week, for approximately 8 hours a day. She approached me and asked if I wanted to watch her son (with my own) at her house one day a week because she knows I am trying to find part time work so that I can stay home with my baby instead of going back to teaching. I will be driving 35 minutes from my house to her house one way to watch her baby and bringing along my son (9 months) for half the day (my mom will pick him up for the other half). She is leaving it up to me how much I will charge for an hourly rate.
I am not sure how much to charge her because it is a bit of an uncomfortable topic with a best friend! I don't want this to hurt our friendship at all, and we will be writing up something to sign together regarding schedules, duties, expectations, etc. I was thinking between $10-15/hour. My husband would prefer the $15/hour because his friend's wife charges that to babysit a baby at someone else's house. I was thinking maybe $12? Or offer a range between $10-15 that my friend and I can discuss? Please help!
Background: I am an early elementary teacher with a Masters in Special Education. We have been friends since 7th grade and she is asking me over her ad on care.com because she felt it would be a better fit for both of us and help me stay home!
****Thanks so much for all of the input! I really appreciate it and so fast as well! My husband and I will be figuring this all out tonight. Just as a reference, $200/week for at another person's home child care is considered very CHEAP in the Mainline Philadelphia, PA area where we live. I'm struggling with figuring this out since it's my best friend and I will not only be traveling 15 miles one way, but since it's only one day a week and some days she may be longer than 8 hours, while others she may be shorter (why she asked me for an hourly rate and not a day rate). Thanks again!
Thank you for all of your responses, Please understand when answering, that the cost of living everywhere is different. It is much more expensive along the east coast than it is in the middle of the country. That being said, if I go forward with this, I am going to charge $10/hour. This is NOT a daycare situation, it is babysitting one day a week. It would be similar to 1 1/2 hours a day after school, although this is an infant I am watching 1:1, or 2:1 which is much different than a daycare facility. The mother is my dearest friend and I would NEVER in any way take advantage of her. This is a deal that is meant to benefit both her and I, as well as provide social interaction with our sons. Ten years ago, when I was in high school, the going competitive rate when I babysat was $10/hour. I feel, ten years later, with degrees in child psychology, elementary and special education and a masters in education with 7 years experience teaching special needs children prek-3rd grade, charging this same amount is fair. She would be paying more than this for a stranger from care.com to come into her home and watch her son, not even necessarily the same person each week, nor with experience and a degree in early childhood education. I would certainly do things around the house to help her while the boys are napping. I will be providing games, crafts, activities, toys and books as well as teaching baby sign language while I'm watching him, at my own expense. If I weren't in a situation where I need to work in order to be home with my son, then I would watch her baby for nothing, or at the least for gas coverage for driving. He is like my nephew. Thanks again for your input. To those who were sensitive to this situation, I greatly appreciate your kindness.
Simple math:
$10hr x 8 hours = $80 per day.
$15hr x 8 hours = $120 per day.
Split the difference and ask for a flat $100/day and be flexible if the baby is sick, or if she is running late. You can always do a little something extra special while you are at her home, like prep dinner, clean a bathroom, etc.
But you should for sure get paid for your time and you can be generous with the extras when you can.
I would go with the $10 an hour. After all this is a good friend. A total stranger that you were contracting with, I think $12 to $15 is reasonable but not for a close friend. Yes $200 a week is cheap that comes out to about $4.44 an hour. At $10 you are already charging more than double that. If you were getting paid weekly it would about $450 a week at $10 an hour. That is pretty darn high. When i worked for a friend I only charged $150 a week, and that regardless of hours usually it was 9 hours a day. So 45 hours a week for $150 comes to about $3.33 an hour. I went to her house, I did not bring any children and her so her child got my full 100% undivided attention. I cooked and cleaned up and would do other chores as needed(wash dishes left in sink, etc.). She was a close friend and I would have charged more for someone I didn't know. But probably not more than about $6 an hour. Otherwise it would benefit them more to go to a daycare. I have a background in childcare, working both as a teacher in pre-school classes at a daycare as well as director of a daycare. So honestly if you are going as high as $10 an hour, I wouldn't go higher.
ETA: Cost of living is different everywhere but I am only about 20 to 30 mins from you and am pretty aware of the rates of daycares in your area having been a director here, and so yes, babysitting at home is different and is still around $10 an hour as a going rate probably due to the ecomomy, some will charge more but they don't get as much work, even with degrees. Teens sitting get less than $10, the average rate on care.com of which I too am a member is $10 an hour, but many of them will negotiate lower, and often the ones listed higher will come down to $10. I have hired a number of people from care.com and found a great Spanish tutor for my kids on there as well. But I do think $10 an hour is fair for you as you obviously need the money and would need to look elsewhere for a better paying job. I just wanted you to be aware of the going rates in your area of both daycares as well as home care. It is wonderful that you and your friend have this opportunity! I hope I didn't offend in anything I said.
Yep. Daycare is generally $1600-2500 a month in our area (group), and $2500-4000 for a nanny for an infant. (9hour day)
$100 a day is what potty trained school age kids cost here, so $100 a day is a Rockin deal for an infant 1:1 care. But not so much of a deal that its not being adequately paid for your time. (Lower is lower than min wage).
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Of course, if its an area where childcare is dirt cheap, that's different. But for Seattle.... YMCA charges $100 a day for my 10yo on no-school days. Which is the cheapest you'll find anywhere without subsidies & govt. programs.
When I did a special friends rate for a couple I really liked, I charged them about $12 an hour. (I have 20 years experience with young children, and my regular hourly rate is higher.) Since your son is coming along for part of the day, perhaps charging a reduced rate for that time ($10 an hour for the first four hours, plus the other four hours at $12 or so-- that would come out to $88 daily.)
The median hourly income for people in childcare is about $10, I've been told (from a friend who works on the board for a nonprofit childcare cooperative program, so I take this not as merely anecdotal but a studied fact). Yes, the industry is underpaid. And yes, do get everything in writing. Clear communication, as you know, is everything. And daycare pricing per hour for care is very different, as the ratios are far different... but you know that too!
Hmm... tough question, but I'll simply say that we pay our date night sitter (college student) $10 an hour to watch our 2 children (4yrs and 6mo). How far you are driving is irrelevant b/c you are not being compensated for your time to-and-from work. I would think that $120 a week is a little steep when you consider that a childcare facility (with licensed providers) would charge her $200 for a full week.
I would say that $10 per hour when your son is there is reasonable and then $15 per hour when your son is not makes sense. That comes out to $100 for the day. Definitely get it in writing, including "sick time" (yours and theirs) as well as days off and early/late arrivals.
Be careful of doing something for someone where they see themselves as "doing you a favor"... it often backfires. She's asking you because she's comfortable with you and trusts you with her child, so there is obvious benefit for her. Just make sure that there is REALLY a benefit for you and your family before agreeing to this.
WOW - 10-15/hour seems high, but then I thought about it and since you are going to their house (not to mention driving so far to get there), it is more of a "nanny" situation.
I was a kindergarten teacher - BS in Early Childhood, and I stopped teaching to stay home as well :-) Best decision I ever made!!
I also watch one of my best friends daughter and she pays me $40/day...usually works out to be between $5-6/hour. Her daughter is 1, and they bring her to my house two days a week, friends mom takes her other 3 days. So when I saw the $10-15/hour I was shocked! Maybe childcare is more expensive where you live and definitely after thinking about it, I would pay someone more who came into MY home. Will you be paying your mom to take your child that half day? Something else to consider when asking for higher $.
It is a great setup! It is a good idea to have something in writing. My friend and I do as well. Yay for finding opportunities that help you stay home! :-D
I guess it depends on the state because in California the daycares run pretty high. The cheapest I found in the central valley of Califonia was $25 an hour and it didn't matter how many hours a day. I decided to go for a baby sitter instead and she is charging me $20 an hour for my 8 month old son. Good luck...
I would say since she is a friend $14/hour is definitely fair.
In Oklahoma an 11 month old child gets nearly a whole week of 10-12 hour days for $100. So I think you are charging way too much. You do realize that you are asking her to pay nearly a whole days daily rate for licensed child care per hour instead of the whole day right????
If she took this child to a fully licensed child care center she "might" pay $25-$35 for the whole day, from 7:15 to after 5:30 pm, that's about over 10 hours at about $3 per hour.
So of course I'm going to remind you that minimum wages are just over $7 per hour and you're thinking about asking her for double minimum wage?
A 1 STAR home would get $14.50 for the whole day which is often well over 10 hours, that's $1.40 per hour.....
A 1+ STAR home would get $17.25 up to $19.25 per whole 10-12 hour day. $1.75 per hour or less.
A 2 STAR home would get $20-$25.75 for the whole 10-12 hour day.
A 3 STAR home, the highest rated in Oklahoma, would still only get $27.75 per whole day. The whole day, not per hour, for up to 12 hours of continuous care in that person's home.
So no, I don't think you should charge her even $10 per hour, maybe more like $5 if you can't just charge her by the day and only about $25 for the whole day.
http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E81F###-###-####-487B-...
Don't know what the going rate is for your area. I see most people are recommending $100/day. I would lower that since you'll have your child there as well and since she is a long time friend.
Also, keep in mind that if you are going to her house, you are her employee and she will be responsible for withholding taxes, etc., if you are doing this "on the books." If not, then she can't claim the child care tax credit on her income taxes.
I think $15 is really high. Our kids go to a really nice daycare here in MI, and our weekly rate equals out to about $6 hour. They provide our kids food. That is with an 8hr day - which they include more than 8 hours if needed. I assume you don't have to provide food or activity costs?
Maybe figure a separate amount just for gas - figure out what this would cost each week. $10/week? Then a lower hourly wage. I would find out what is average for a daycare in your area. And if you do have activity fees, ask for that per needed. I personally wouldn't pay someone more than $10 an hour.
Your amounts sound high to me - that's $80-$120 per day. It's one child, and you are taking your child with you so you are not even exclusively focusing on her child. I actually wouldn't do an hourly rate at all, but ask her for a flat amount per day. I pay $50 per day (about 8 hrs) for someone to watch my child in the summer. That's a flat rate, and if I come home early, it's $50, and if I'm running late (within reason), it's still $50.
